Robert Ervin Howard was born in Peaster, Texas, on January 24, 1906 (not January 22, as some references have it). His father was a physician who moved the family often during Howard's childhood, finally settling in Cross Plains, Texas, when Robert was thirteen years old. By this time, young Robert had already declared that he wanted to become a professional writer.

In 1924 Howard sold his first story, "Spear and Fang," a tale about cave men. This story was published by Weird Tales magazine, which became his most important market. Howard patterned many of his settings and characters on his Texas surroundings, populated in his day by a rugged crew of Native Americans, cowboys, miners, and oil workers. The hot, dusty climate and gritty occupations seemed to stimulate tales of heroes who were slow of speech and quick with their fists. An angry young man, Howard wrote many...